Shivangi Sinha
Netflix’s ‘Inside the Trustor Scandal’ features interviews and insights from people who were involved in one of Sweden’s largest corporate scandals. One of the most named people in connection with the legal action that followed was Peter Mattsson. He was one of the associates involved in the 1997 takeover of the firm. Though he did not appear for an interview himself, his former friends and colleagues gave an account of how things fell into place and of his role in it.
Peter Mattsson Was Brought Into the Team Because of His Connection to Lord Moyne
Peter Mattsson had been friends with Thomas Jisander since they were kids. In January 1997, Joachim Posener said he was looking for a team of people to work for him, and that is how Mattsson came into the picture. Jisander approached him, and because of his connection to the British Lord Moyne, he became the dot that brought the two worlds together. Mattsson was instrumental in in bringing Lord Moyne into the project, as the two already had a joint company, Mattsson Guinness Securities Ltd and in getting him on the team. In the documentary, Jisander claimed that once the deal was closed, he and Mattsson allegedly managed the daily operations, an allegation Mattsson has consistently denied.
Jisander said that he and Mattsson had a lot of fun while working on the project. He spoke of the supposed “wars” between them over who could buy more things, and also recalled their vacation in Europe in the summer of 1997. Jisander alleged in the documentary that he and Mattsson enjoyed lavish lifestyles during that period at the time, claiming they spent heavily — claims that Mattsson vehemently denied, asserting he was just an employee with zero knowledge of the financial schemes. In 1997, a criminal investigation broke out, and during a planned press conference, Mattsson was taken into custody along with other members of the team.
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Peter Mattsson Was Compensated for His Unlawful Detention
Peter Mattsson was detained for around 36 days in December 1997. In April 2000, he was formally charged, and his trial did not start until February 2001. Although he was convicted of gross embezzlement and breach of trust and sentenced to three years in prison in 2001, Mattsson was acquitted of all charges on appeal to the Svea Court of Appeal in 2002. He claimed that he had not known about the company’s finances and was merely an employee. Joachim Posener was believed to be the mastermind of the crime.
Mattsson sought over 10 million kronor from the state for five years of lost income, plus 2 million kronor for suffering. He claimed he had been on the verge of a well-paid London job, earning around £120,000 a year, before his arrest and travel ban derailed it. In January 2005, the Chancellor of Justice awarded him just 250,000 kronor for his unlawful detention. Since then, unlike others involved in the case, he has remained and lived a quiet life. Not much is known about him otherwise.
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